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Warning Signs of Erratic Driving: Semi-Truck Edition

We all must operate our vehicles with care and safety. Every driver depends on the safety of all other drivers to get from point A to point B without incident or harm, and vice versa. It is extremely dangerous to exhibit bad driving habits or drive recklessly without any concern for ourselves or our fellow drivers.

Even more dangerous, however, is erratic driving from the operator of a semi-truck. These vehicles are significantly larger and more powerful than nearly all other vehicles on the road, making them naturally more dangerous than your average car, truck, or SUV. Even when driving a semi-truck safely in perfect conditions, one minor mishap can lead to disaster for the truck driver and any vehicle involved in the incident.

To put the size difference into perspective, check out the dimensions of a 2023 Ford F-150 (regular cab) – a sizable, full-size pickup truck – and a semi attached to a standard trailer:

Ford F-150 (measurements are rounded or averaged)

Full length: 19’

Width, including mirrors: 8’

Height: 6’6”

Gross weight: 6,470 lbs.

Semi-Truck (measurements are rounded or averaged)

Full length: 70’

Width, without mirrors: 8’6”

Height: 13’6”

Gross weight: 35,000 lbs. when attached to an empty trailer (can reach up to 80,000 lbs. when the trailer is loaded)

The semi-truck is more than three times longer, two times taller, and 5 to 12 times heavier than the Ford truck. Sharing the road with an erratic Ford driver sounds terrible enough, but driving alongside an erratic semi-truck driver can lead to deadly consequences.

To spot the signs of erratic driving from a semi-truck driver, pay attention to things like:

Speeding

In Georgia, truck drivers must abide by the same speed limits that affect all other drivers. If the speed limit on the highway is 65, truck drivers must not exceed that limit.

If you notice a driver exceeding the speed limit, avoid them as much as possible. One of the most common factors in semi-truck accidents across the county is the speed at which the truck driver is driving, whether they are driving too fast beyond the posted limit or too fast for current weather conditions (rain, fog, snow, ice, etc.). In fact, up to 23% of all trucking accidents reported can be blamed on the truck’s speed.

Excessive Lane Drifting

Truck on the road in stormy day.

You are required to stay in your lane unless you are safely and legally changing lanes, passing another vehicle, or performing any other maneuver that causes you to be in two lanes at once. When you drift between lines too much or “ride the line” (drive with one half of your vehicle in one lane and the other half in another), you become unpredictable to other drivers and create dangerous scenarios on the road.

If a semi-truck near you drifts between lanes excessively or rides the line for a while, avoid them as much as possible. This could be a sign of a distracted driver, a driver who is dozing off, a driver who has fallen ill behind the wheel, or a driver who is drunk. Regardless of the reason for the excessive drifting, the action itself can eventually become disastrous.

Swerving

Like excessive lane drifting, swerving within a lane is a sign of dangerous, erratic driving and illegal. Swerving back and forth between the lines of the lane is unnecessary and usually the result of situations like:

  • Texting while driving
  • Reaching for an item in the other seat or back area of the cabin
  • Eating while driving
  • Drunk driving

And usually, when the driver is swerving within their lane, they eventually swerve beyond the lines of their lane and move into the adjacent lanes.

A semi-truck that is swerving is extremely dangerous to drive near or beside. The driver is clearly disregarding the rules of the road and the other drivers around them and can eventually cause a catastrophic or deadly collision. Due to its weight and length, even minor swerving can lead to the semi-truck “jackknifing” (folding into itself) or rolling over.

Tailgating

Tailgating is a frustrating habit that can lead to dangerous collisions, regardless of the kind of car involved. Even when one sedan is tailgating another sedan, both drivers (and passengers) can experience significant injury should the car in front have to slam on breaks for any reason. Now imagine the same scenario with a semi-truck tailgating the sedan. It takes far more time, distance, and power to slow a semi-truck’s momentum than a smaller vehicle. That’s why truck drivers should never tailgate, ever.

Plus, the 20-foot span in front of a semi-truck is a blind spot for the truck driver. If they are tailgating the vehicle in front of them, they are likely not even able to see the vehicle (unless it is another semi-truck).

If you notice a semi-truck driving too close to the vehicles in front of it, do not get in front of that driver.

General Disregard of Road Rules

Driving a car during bad weather conditions

Sometimes, reckless and erratic driving occurs because the driver has a general disregard for the rules of the road. Consider a truck driver erratic if they do any of the following:

  • Drive into oncoming traffic
  • Drive without headlights on when they are needed or required
  • Make illegal or dangerous turns
  • Never use turn signals
  • Run red lights

If you are ever involved in a semi-truck accident with an erratic driver, turn to the expert attorneys at Clark, Smith & Sizemore.

Semi-truck drivers have a responsibility to operate their trucks safely and nonthreateningly. And even then, safe truck drivers can still find themselves at fault for an accident. If you have experienced an accident with a semi-truck, our attorneys will thoroughly investigate your case and will fiercely represent you in the fight for justice. Call us today for a free consultation: 478-254-5040.

Thank you for checking out part 3 of our 6-part series on semi-truck accidents. Stay tuned for our upcoming articles: